Jun 7, 2008

Tokyo - TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced that it will provide 78 conventional hybrid and other environmentally friendly vehicles for official use and demonstration at the July 7-9 G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

The vehicles will be used to transport participating country officials, shuttle media and government representatives and serve as next-generation test ride vehicles as part of the summit's Environmental Showcase of environmentally related displays and demonstrations at the venue's International Media Center.

TMC provided the environmentally friendly vehicles in response to a Japanese government request to help ensure that the summit and the preparations for it are as environmentally considerate as possible. This is especially because one of the major themes of the summit is the environment, particularly measures aimed at combating global warming.

TMC will provide (including backup vehicles) 11 Lexus LS600h/LS600hL sedans, 15 Crown Hybrid sedans and 43 Estima Hybrid minivans for transporting participant country officials. In addition, five units of the hydrogen-powered Toyota FCHV-BUS will be used for shuttling government and media representatives.

The test ride vehicles for the Environmental Showcase will include one Toyota Plug-in HV, two battery-powered i-REAL personal mobility vehicles and a TOYOTA FCHV-adv. Also at the Environmental Showcase, TMC will put on technological displays that include a stationary fuel cell and a high-pressure hydrogen tank developed by TMC for fuel cell vehicles.

Some of the aforementioned vehicles will also serve the June 7-8 Energy Ministers Meeting in Aomori Prefecture and the June 15 G8 Science and Technology Ministers Meeting in Okinawa Prefecture.